


cover me in the night

by ClockworkDinosaur



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, Humanstuck, Mob AU elements, One Shot, POV Kanaya Maryam, POV Second Person, Vampires, Witches, background davekat, oh boy are there pesterlogs, pesterlogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 16:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12016503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkDinosaur/pseuds/ClockworkDinosaur
Summary: This is it, you're going to die. Throat slashed in an alley behind a seedy goth club. It's gritty, it's gross, and it's extremely unfair.This is not how Kanaya Maryam dies.





	cover me in the night

**Author's Note:**

> formatting broke into my home, killed my pet goldfish, and ate all of my lucky charms
> 
> im really sorry it's all squished like this i don't know how to fix it while also keeping the fuckin pesterlogs from exploding
> 
> title from "Rose Red" by Emilie Autumn

If your friends were to describe you, they would probably call you level-headed. Calm under pressure. Rational.  
Right now, you are none of these things.  
Right now, you might be dying. Scrap that, you are definitely dying. And it looks like a pretty ugly death from where you're laying. Your heart is pounding, your once-perfect nails scratching at the dirty pavement as you try and move somewhere, anywhere. Blood from the wound on your neck paints the back alley ground; for some reason you're reminded of holiday festivities as you swipe a bloody hand over a green dumpster, grasping for purchase to lift yourself from the asphalt.  
No dice, you fall back down and you've expended your energy. This is it, you're going to die. Throat slashed in an alley behind a seedy goth club. It's gritty, it's gross, and it's extremely unfair. Your top, so meticulously crafted by your own hands, is torn and bloodstained beyond repair. Rocks and littered shards of glass tear at your tights, scratching the dark skin underneath. You're as unglamorous as you've never been.  
This is not the way Kanaya Maryam dies.  
A final, desperate burst of energy swells though you and you get to your knees, crawling towards the door you may not be able to open in your state. But it's there, a last-ditch chance at living, and you use every ounce of willpower you can go get there. One hand in front of the other, one knee forward-  
You fall just short of the door. You can't even find it in you to breathe anymore. Your body is numb and heavy and your vision is clouding-  
And then the door opens. A figure stands, draped in black lace and silver necklaces. Relief blooms in your chest before you realize your savior might be too late to save you.  
Then you don't think anything at all.

\---

Light from your computer screen pierces your eyes, even at the lowest brightness level. Any amount light has been unbearable for you since you woke up twenty four hours after the incident; you spent a frantic half hour covering your apartment windows with towels and blankets with your eyes watering and skin reddening. But you bear it, because this is a conversation that needs to happen as soon as possible.  
Everything feels... off. Your skin is too sensitive, the sounds of the apartment building around you bordering on unbearable. It's enough that you can't even hear yourself think. Something happened to you and you have no idea what.  
The last log between you and the girl you glimpsed before everything went black is dry and boring, a discussion of a class project from last semester. So different from her coy smiles and loaded comments in person, your last text conversation with Rose Lalonde ended with a few links to literature resources. Any attempts to speak to her in class were foiled by your own awkwardness. The only things you had managed to say to her were greetings, simple hellos and good afternoons as you passed her desk. Nothing like the razor-witted intellectual conversations you two had shared before.  
This conversation is bound to be much more interesting.

grimAuxillatrix [GA] began pestering  tentacleTherapist [TT]  
  
GA: Rose Lalonde  
TT: Greetings, Kanaya.  
TT: I didn't think I would be hearing from you so soon; those with your affliction tend to take several days to recover from the initial event.  
GA: My Affliction  
GA: Question Mark  
TT: Your dedication to your peculiar way of typing is really quite admirable. Even under distress your textual tone is proper and composed. The same can be said for the way you speak, it's very charming.  
GA: Thank You The Way You Use Words Not Often Used In Casual Vernacular Is Just As Bewitching  
GA: However No Matter What My Tone Implies I Dont Really Feel Composed Right Now   
GA: But You Mentioned My Affliction Earlier Could You Clarify  
TT: I can't help but read everything you type as if you're pronouncing it with careful precision, each word being crafted precisely and with the intent of impressing even the strictest of professors.   
GA: Thats Nice Rose But Could We Perhaps Talk About The Way I Type Another Time  
TT: Just as long as there is another time for us to speak, yes.  
GA: What Affliction Did You Refer To Before   
TT: You haven't figured it out?  
TT: I was sure with your extensive knowledge of supernatural literature through the ages you would have pieced together your symptoms by now.  
GA: No  
TT: Are you certain?  
TT: Do you remember what happened last night?  
GA: Sort Of  
GA: Its All Very Hazy  
TT: Allow me to fill in some of the gaps in your cognizance. In person.  
GA: I Dont Think Thats Necessary You Could Just Tell Me Now  
TT: Trust me, Kanaya. This is the sort of news that needs to be delivered in-person. However, I know you are in no state to be making visits. Do you still live in the same apartment you did when we did the project on Victorian literature?   
GA: Yes But Something Tells Me You Didnt Even Need To Ask  
TT: Perhaps.  
TT: I will be there in about an hour.  
GA: Okay  
  
tentacleTherapist [TT] ceased pestering  grimAuxillatrix [GA]

You close your eyes and turn off your computer screen, blessed darkness cooling your raw eyes. You don't recall her being so stubborn when you worked together. Her insistence on meeting with you in person is strange and makes you somewhat anxious. With a sense of foreboding, you stand from your computer chair and change from the nightgown you had found yourself in when you woke up.  
It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened after you passed out from blood loss last night. Rose took you home, changed you out of your bloody clothes (though left the undergarments you were wearing; you're thankful for that), and left you in your bed to sleep it off.  
Oh, and somehow also healed the wound in your neck without so much as a scar.  
Your fingers trace lightly across your neck, from where your blood had flowed and stained the dirty pavement. The feeling of dying, the feeling of hot and sticky blood that covered your chest are still vivid in your mind and you shudder.  
Whatever Rose did, you owe her your immense gratitude. Perhaps even your life.  
It hits you again, you nearly died last night. Mugged in a back alley in New York, much like you had been warned about by-  
Quickly, bracing against the sudden light, you open your laptop again.

grimAuxillatrix [GA] began pestering  carcinoGeneticist [CG]  
  
GA: Karkat  
CG: FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK KANAYA IT'S TWO IN THE MORNING FOR YOU AND I KNOW FOR A FACT YOU HAVE CLASS TOMORROW, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY KEEP YOU UP PAST YOUR SELF-IMPOSED MANDITORY BED TIME OF FIVE IN THE GODDAMN AFTERNOON?  
GA: Hello To You Too  
GA: First Of All I Do Not Go To Bed At Five In The Afternoon I Try To Go To Bed Around Ten Which Is A Practice You Should Consider Giving A Shot  
CG: HOW ABOUT YOU CONSIDER KISSING MY ASS  
GA: …  
CG: MAYBE THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR.  
GA: I Cant Say Its Unexpected Though  
GA: Honestly If The Thought Of Being Anywhere Near Your Ass Werent So Repugnant To Me On Every Level I Would Have Laughed  
CG: I'M A REGULAR COMEDIAN OVER HERE. THAT'S THE REAL REASON EVERYONE LAUGHS AT ME ISN'T IT?  
CG: ANYWAY, WHAT'S UP?  
GA: Well  
GA: You Were Right About Something You Said  
CG: WOW! GENUINE SHOCK: KARKAT VANTAS, BIGMOUTH EXTRAORDINAIRE, WAS RIGHT ABOUT SOMETHING! I'M GOING TO WAKE DAVE UP FROM HIS REEKING NEST OF OLD T-SHIRTS AND UNWASHED UNDERWEAR TO TELL HIM THE GOOD NEWS.  
CG: BUT I'VE SAID SO MANY THINGS, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CLARIFY FOR THE PRESSES.  
GA: Remember When I First Moved Up Here For School  
CG: OF COURSE.   
GA: What Were The Warnings You Gave Me  
CG: 1) DON'T GET LOST 2) ALWAYS CARRY YOUR PHONE 3) DON'T GET MUGGED 4) DON'T GET RUN OVER BY A TAXI  
CG: THOSE ARE THE ONLY PIECES OF WISDOM ON NEW YORK CITY I COULD OFFER CONSIDERING I'VE NEVER BEEN THERE AND ALL OF MY KNOWLEDGE ON IT COMES FROM MOVIES.  
GA: Well  
CG: OH NO  
GA: I Havent Said Anything Distressing Yet Why Are You Saying Oh No  
CG: BECAUSE EVERYTHING UP TO THIS POINT IN THE CONVERSATION HAS POINTED TO A MASSIVE GODDAMN WRENCH IN THE WELL-OILED GEARS OF YOUR LIFE. YOU'RE UP PAST MIDNIGHT, MESSAGING ME ON A SCHOOL NIGHT, AND YOU'RE MAKING ME RECALL THE RULES I GAVE YOU FOR SOME BOUND-TO-BE-TERRIBLE REASON THAT I'M SURE IS RELEVANT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T HEED MY PERFECTLY FUCKING REASONABLE ADVICE.  
GA: Well Since Youve Figured It Out I Suppose Theres No Reason For Me To Go Into Detail  
GA: It Wasnt Even Advice It Was More Like A List Of Demands  
CG: REASONABLE DEMANDS  
GA: Perhaps But How Was I To Avoid Getting Mugged You Didnt Actually Tell Me Any Tips In Avoiding Such An Event  
GA: Whoops The Secret Is Out  
CG: HOLY FUCKING SHIT ARE YOU OKAY??  
CG: ARE YOU HURT? DID YOU GO TO THE POLICE? WHAT DID THEY TAKE?  
CG: JESUS FUCK KAN I RAMBLED ON LIKE A FUCKING MORON WHILE YOU COULD BE IN THE HOSPITAL WITH TEN KNIFE WOUNDS IN YOUR CHEST I'M SO SORRY FUCK  
GA: Im Not In The Hospital And There Are No Knife Wounds  
GA: The Fact That There Are No Wounds Is Strange But That Leads To Why I Messaged You In The First Place Actually  
CG: YEAH?  
GA: Do You Remember When I Worked On That Project With Your Boyfriends Cousin Last Semester   
CG: WHEN YOU MESSAGED ME DAILY WITH LONG SONNETS ABOUT ROSE LALONDE'S Deep Lavender Eyes AND Warm Golden Brown Skin AND Shining Halo Of Hair? AND ABOUT HOW SHE Speaks With A Razor Wit And An Inner Fire Of Intelligence That Shines Through With Every Concept She Proposes? NOPE, NO FUCKING CLUE.  
GA: I Didnt Say Any Of That  
CG: I COPIED AND PASTED THAT DIRECTLY FROM OUR FUCKING CONVERSATION YOU OVERLY-VERBOSE LESBIAN, YOU CAN'T DENY IT.  
GA: Okay Need I Remind You Of Some Of The Things Youve Said About Dave  
GA: His INFURIATINGLY HANDSOME SMIRK Is Perhaps My Favorite Line Of Yours  
CG: SDFKDSKJDFHFDKDKF OKAY SHUT UP!!  
CG: WHAT ABOUT ROSE?  
GA: I Think She Saved My Life Last Night  
CG: SHIT, HOW BAD WAS YOUR MUGGING?  
GA: Very Bad  
CG: I'M TEMPTED TO USE MY YEARLY VISIT FUND TO SEE IF YOU'RE OKAY BECAUSE THIS IS SCARING THE SHIT OUT OF ME, KANAYA.  
GA: Save Your Money For The Holidays I Havent Finished Your Gift Yet And I Dont Want To Wait Until Next year To Give It To You  
GA: And I Am Fine Really  
GA: Im Resting And I Plan On Staying Home Until I Fully Recover  
GA: I Did Want To Tell You Though Partially Because you Had Warned Me About Being Mugged  
CG: THAT WAS NINETY PERCENT A JOKE, I DIDN'T THINK YOU WOULD ACTUALLY GET FUCKING MUGGED!  
GA: Nobody Ever Thinks Theyre Going To Get Mugged Otherwise Nobody Would Ever Leave Their Homes  
CG: I GUESS.  
CG: YOU REALLY ARE OKAY THOUGH?  
GA: As Fine As I Can Be I Suppose Given That  
GA: Shit Rose Is Here  
GA: I Will Provide More Details In A Bit But To Be Completely Honest You Know Just About As Much As I Do Right Now  
CG: OKAY, GET BACK TO BE AS SOON AS YOUR DATE IS OVER  
GA: It Isnt A Date How On Earth Did You Draw That Conclusion  
CG: WHATEVER, JUST GO  
  
grimAuxillatrix [GA] ceased pestering  carcinoGeneticist [CG]

The light knocks on your door are like hammers ringing against your head. It occurs to you that you may be hungover, or ill perhaps? Something is going on obviously, something making you sensitive to light and sound. Maybe someone drugged your drink last night and getting stabbed was a hallucination and you are now dealing with the side effects. It's the only theory that makes sense.  
Only Rose knows for certain, and you open the door to see her in all of her gothic finery, smiling up at you in that knowing way of hers. The dim hallway lights might as well be miniature suns for the way they burn your corneas. You step aside and let her in, closing the door as quickly as possible. Her scent, herbal and flowery and intoxicatingly pleasant, tickles your nose as she passes. If sunlight had a scent, it would be indistinguishable from Rose's. Her skirt swishes around her stocking-clad legs and you suddenly feel a bit under-dressed in your tank top and jeans, a very unfamiliar feeling for you.  
“I love what you've done with the place,” Rose says blankly, squinting into the nearly perfect darkness.  
“I apologize, my eyes are strangely tender right now,” you say. You put a hand on her shoulder, wincing apologetically as she jumps, and lead her to the couch. She sits carefully and you sit next to her so she knows where you are. As your eyes are adjusted well, you can see her clearly. Her curly blonde hair frames her round face, unrestrained by her black hairband. Her eyes almost meet yours, but not quite. They shine even in the dark and their odd color entrances you as they always do. Freckles dust her face, a mesmerizing galaxy across the bridge of her nose-  
She clears her throat, breaking you out of your increasingly gay reverie, and you grasp for one of the millions of questions that flutter through your brain.  
“How did you find me last night?” you ask. It's not a bad place to start.  
“I was stepping outside for a smoke,” she says. Now that she mentions it, that herbal scent you noticed earlier is familiar. Clove cigarettes. “Pardon my bluntness but you looked terrible, which I am certain is a rare occurrence.”  
Her smile falters for a second, genuine concern crossing her face before she can compose herself.  
“It was clear you were not going to survive long enough for any help to arrive, so I took matters into my own hands.”  
“What did you do?” you ask quietly, voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes find yours somehow and she looks at you as if seeing every detail of your face, beyond that, into your soul.  
“I summoned a being of the night who owed me a favor; they revived you, made you stronger. Ensured nobody could hurt you like that again,” she said, a subtle fierceness in her voice.  
“A being of night,” you repeat slowly. Rationally, you think Rose is completely off her rocker. But you can't totally convince yourself that she's lying. Her expression challenges you to disagree, to tell her she's wrong.  
But you can't.  
“Assuming I believe you,” you say carefully, “are you implying a demon saved my life?”  
She shakes her head. “Of course not, demons ask too much in repayment. What saved you is something contained to this realm.”  
You know what it is but there is no way you're going to say it. Even thinking it makes you feel ridiculous. Never mind that all the pieces are falling into place to make the mysterious affliction abundantly clear. It's too fantastical, impossible, completely insane-  
“A vampire,” you breathe.  
Rose smiles widely for the first time you've ever seen, dimples in her cheeks and eyes glittering.  
“Precisely.”

\---

CG: A VAMPIRE.  
GA: Yes  
CG: AS IN, SPARKLE IN THE SUNLIGHT, BROOD OVER UNDERAGE GIRLS WHILE BEING OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD ***VAMPIRE***  
GA: Oh God No  
GA: More Like  
GA: Step Out Into The Sunlight And Burst Into Flames Brood Over A Chalice Of O Positive Vampire  
GA: I Assume  
GA: Rose Only Gave Me The Most Basic Of Information And I Was Too Shocked To Ask For Much However She Will Be Stopping By Again Tonight With Some Necessities And Answers  
CG: YOU'RE A VAMPIRE.  
GA: Yes Karkat Keep Up  
CG: OH, I'M TERRIBLY SORRY KANAYA. IS MY SHOCK AND DISBELIEF ANNOYING?  
GA: Yes  
CG: THAT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION AND YOU KNOW IT  
GA: Be That As It May Do Try And Suspend Your Disbelief For This Because I Am Already Questioning My Own Sanity As Well As The Sanity Of Rose More And More With Each Passing Hour And I Do Not Need You Questioning Me As Well  
CG: OKAY, FAIR.  
CG: HAVE YOU TESTED IT?  
GA: Tested It How  
CG: I DON'T FUCKING KNOW? LOOK IN A MIRROR OR SOMETHING. IF YOU SHOW UP IT MEANS LALONDE IS FUCKING NUTS.  
GA: Actually The Myth That Vampires Dont Show Up In Mirrors Is Due To The Fact That Mirrors Used To Be Backed With Silver And That Metal Is Too Pure To Project The Image Of A Damned Creature  
GA: Mirrors Nowadays Are Backed With Much More Inexpensive Metals Such As Aluminum  
CG: WOW. NERD.  
GA: Takes One To Know One  
CG: REAL FUCKING CLEVER! REMIND ME TO APPLY COLD WATER TO THAT SICK BURN LATER  
CG: OKAY, HERE'S A TEST: …..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..  
GA: Forty   
GA: Wait What  
CG: ACCORDING TO THIS WEIRD-ASS GOTHIC WEBSITE I'M ON, IF YOU HAVE THE COMPULSION TO COUNT SHIT THEN YOU MIGHT BE A VAMPIRE.  
CG: SO UH...   
GA: Oh Fuck  
CG: THE NEXT TEST WOULD BE TO TOUCH A CROSS AND SEE IF YOU BURST INTO FLAMES, BUT THAT SEEMS BATSHIT CRAZY SO WE'LL SKIP THAT ONE  
GA: I Dont Own Any Crosses Anyway  
CG: GOOD, I'D RATHER YOU NOT FUCKING COMBUST  
GA: Did You Google Vampire Test  
CG: I GOOGLED “HOW TO TELL IF YOUR IDIOT BEST FRIEND IS TURNING INTO A VAMPIRE” ACTUALLY, SO SHUT UP

You can't help but laugh. The whole situation is ridiculous. As soon as Rose left you with a promise to return tomorrow night with some things necessary to your survival, you continued your conversation with Karkat.  
Disbelief is an understatement. The worst thing about it is the truth that resonates through the whole situation, the certainty that Rose is totally correct. Vampires are real and you are one.  
You've read countless vampire novels, from the classics to the cliche, in your life. The romance of it all, the brooding decadence, the dark mystery... It feels silly to admit it now, but when you were a teen you had hoped a lovely seductress of the night would sweep you off of your feet, pull you into her world of velvet and blood and share her heart with you for all of eternity.  
It had all felt so romantic. Now you feel a headache and a phantom pain in your neck. You feel the silence in your chest where a heart once beat. Nothing about this situation is romantic.  
Standing, you look around your pitch black apartment. Despite the fact that you haven't eaten in over a day, the very sight of the refrigerator makes you a bit queasy. You don't think too hard about what you'll need to do once you actually do get hungry.  
Walking into your room is always a bit overwhelming in a way you had always considered pleasant, with the colored bolts of fabric leaning against the walls, unused fabrics draped over your bedposts and affixed to the walls to create a soft explosion of color.  
Now it's just overstimulating to your sensitive eyes and you do your best to ignore it all as you make your way to your mirror. Contrary to the myths, your own reflection stares back. Same green eyes, same brown skin, same strong nose, same black hair. There are deep dark circles under your eyes and your hair is a mess, but everything looks the same.  
You rub your face and sigh. A vampire. You died and became a vampire. You stare at yourself. A vampire stares back, but you would never know it.  
Opening your mouth, you see the new sharpness of your canine teeth. Focusing on them makes them elongate, ivory white and gleaming. It's strange and scary and your mouth snaps closed quickly.  
You turn away from your reflection and throw yourself on your bed. How are you going to live a life of sunlight avoidance? Rose had made it clear enough that you wouldn't be watching the sunrise anytime soon, something you were immensely disappointed but unsurprised about.  
How are you going to go to class?  
You glance at the clock. It's an acceptable time to send an email you suppose. You grab your phone and type something quickly about being incredibly sick suddenly and needing a few days to a week to recover and send it to your professors. It won't be enough to get you out of your assignments or anything, you know that, but at least you're not just skipping class. Afterward, you change into your pajamas and curl up in bed. You close your eyes and focus on your breathing, relaxing yourself with each deep breath.  
It's so mundane, a ritual you had done every night, but it feels so normal and for a moment you long to go back and make sure you never go to that shitty club in the first place just to keep your normal, ordered life.  
As the sun rises, you fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

\---

A light tapping on the door pulls you from your slumber. As you sit up, blinking into the darkness, you're hit with the realization that you absolutely understand what it means to sleep like the dead. Though your dreams were usually not particularly vivid, waking up without even the idea that you had a dream feels strange. It's as if you had actually been dead for hours, lost in nothingness.  
Shaking off the sudden chill, you pull a t-shirt on over the tank top you had already been wearing and switch your sweatpants for a pair of jeans. Your own laziness astounds you, but you manage to put that aside as you answer the door.  
Rose steps inside as soon as the door is open, a purple backpack slung over her shoulder. You turn on a small table lamp as you lead her in, the light not burning your eyes nearly as badly as it had the night before, and she gives you a subtly grateful expression. You both sit on the couch and she pulls the bag onto her lap. She unzips it and begins placing strange jars and containers within on the coffee table. Lastly, she pulls out a folder of paper.  
“Our lit teacher wanted me to give these to you, it's this week's readings and the analysis questions she would have asked in class,” she says. “I'm not sure you'll be joining the class anymore but...”  
You frown. “Of course I'll be joining... eventually. I hope.”  
You could switch to online classes and night classes, maybe lighten your course load until you have adjusted. It will be hard, fashion is a rather hands-on course of study, but there's no way you're going to be giving up on that.  
With her lips pressed together, Rose nods. “Of course, my apologies for assuming. If you would like me to get your classwork from your other teachers, feel free to ask.”  
“Thank you,” you reply. “I may need to take you up on that.”  
Rose nods and then picks up a rather large jar that looks as if it's full of lotion.  
“This may be of use if you plan on continuing to attend class. It's basically sunscreen, but made specifically with the goal of not burning to a pile of ashes in the midday sun in mind,” she says, passing it to you. You open the cool glass jar, smelling the minty scented cream. It's cold to the touch and smooth, making your fingertips tingle.  
“I made it myself,” she adds with a hint of pride.  
“It smells wonderful, thank you,” you say, placing it carefully back on the table.  
“Don't thank me until you know whether it works or not,” she says dryly. You can't tell if she's joking but she's already passing a small box to you and you can't ask.  
“This should act as a sort of... scent blocker, I suppose. It keeps the scent of human blood from becoming overwhelming when out in public if you chew it,” she says. Within the box are what look vaguely like small gumdrops, but more opalescent and shiny.  
“It hasn't been,” you say, the very idea making you feel queasy. “I think I would have noticed the scent of blood considering you've been over here and I live in a rather crowded apartment building.”  
Rose gives you a somber look. “Just wait. Actually, that's what this is for.”  
She hands you a flask. A simple silver flask that you're suddenly very nervous to be holding.  
“What is this?” you ask, already knowing the very disturbing answer.  
“Blood,” Rose says as if this is normal. “My own blood, humanely obtained.”  
You set the flask down quickly. You knew you would have to drink blood at some point but being presented with it so suddenly is suddenly too much.  
“Don't look so uneasy, I'm used to using my own blood for spells and such, it was really no trouble and you are going to need it,” she says. It doesn't make you feel any better.  
“I don't want this,” you say, swallowing thickly. Rose smiles bitterly.  
“This may be the modern age of vampirism,” she says with a wave at the sunscreen and scent blockers, “but some things remain ubiquitous through the ages. It's simply a fact of the life you must live now.”  
“I don't want to live like this!” you say, standing in a flash. She blinks at the sudden movement but makes no other move, simply watching you with those strange eyes. You begin pacing.  
“It's not as if I wanted to die of course, but I would much rather have not ended up in that situation at all,” you say, unsure if you're talking to her or to yourself. “I should never have gone out that night, I should have just stayed home. Now my life is over, or at least infinitely more complicated, and I don't know what to do.”  
The regret chokes you. Panic joins it too and you feel the blood running down your neck, see that silver flask, the silver knife that killed you, it's all too much-  
“Kanaya,” Rose says, and she's standing too. Worry is written across her face with no attempt to hide it as she takes a step towards you. “Kanaya, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry you're in this situation at all. But I'm not going to leave you to deal with it on your own. I've played a part in getting you here and I'll do everything I can to help.”  
You've stopped pacing and she's standing in front of you, looking up at you with her eyebrows drawn together and black-painted lips pulled into a frown. She hesitantly takes your hand in hers and you let her, holding your breath as she looks down at your fingers.  
“When I saw you there, lying in a pool of your own blood, I knew I couldn't let you die. I also knew there was no way you would survive your injuries. I did what I knew I could, I used what powers I had at my disposal to make sure the world wouldn't lose someone like you, to make sure... I wouldn't lose you.”  
She stiffens. Takes a deep breath. You watch her intently, your fingers curling around hers. It's clear from the way her voice begins to shake that she's terrified, about the things she's saying or your reaction you can't tell.  
“I know I have no claim to you, perhaps I am selfish. Perhaps I shouldn't have meddled in matters of life and death or whatnot but I can't imagine going on in a world where you had died and I had done nothing about it. A world where I never got to tell you how I feel.”  
It's quiet. Even your own breathing seems muffled. She's incredibly still, her hands warm but motionless in yours. In the dim light, you can clearly see the way her face twists, nervousness below the surface just barely hidden.  
“And how is it you feel?” you ask, your voice just above a whisper. She looks up but doesn't quite meet your eyes.  
“I'm not sure. To call it love feels like a rather large step, one that I fear it may be too soon to take. Perhaps... to use infantile terms, a crush.”  
You can't help but laugh, a single breathy sound that draws her eyes to yours. Those lovely, lovely eyes you had been drawn to ever since you met her in class so many months ago.  
“Well, Rose,” you say slowly, studying her face, “I can safely say that that feeling, whatever term you feel comfortable applying to it, is returned.”  
You lean down and press your lips to hers. They're soft and oh so willing, just barely parting underneath your touch. Her hands tighten around yours and it's intoxicating, her warmth and scent surrounding you in this bubble of quiet.  
You pull away first, looking at her face as her eyes flutter open and her lips pull up into a smile. Her cheeks are rosy, her galaxy of freckles standing in contrast to the red, and you can't help but smile back.  
You have a second chance now. A second chance neither of you seem ready to waste.

\---

TT: It's strange to think we've all known of each other for a while whilst never chatting together as a group.

TG: did you somehow use ~mayjgiks~ to make everyone meet

TG: in which case thanks because karkats great but also stop meddling in peoples lives

TT: As much as I would love to claim credit for your saccharine romantic life, it truly was happenstance that brought all of us together, in somewhat nebulous ways.

TT: You're my twin brother, so of course we know each other. Kanaya is in my literature class, and just so happens to be a long-time friend of Karkat.

TG: small world

GA: You Must Be Karkats Boyfriend Dave

TG: you must be rose's long time awkward crush kanaya nice to finally meet you

TT: What's this emotion I'm feeling? Regret? Yes, that's it.

GA: Yes Thats Me The Awkward Crush

GA: A Pleasure To Meet You

CG: OH NO

CG: THIS IS THE WORST COLLECTION OF PEOPLE TO EVER HAVE BEEN PUT TOGETHER IN A MEMO, ROSE. HOW COULD YOU? DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT EMBARRASSMENT WILL BEFALL ME WITH MY BOYFRIEND AND BEST FRIEND TOGETHER HERE? THE STORIES THEY COULD TELL???

GA: Hey Dave Did You Know Karkat Had A Twilight Phase In Middle School

CG: FUCK!!!!!!! OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CG: YOUR TWILIGHT PHASE WAS NEARLY AS EMBARRASSING AS MINE

TG: haha thats actually unsurprising have you seen the movies he watches  
CG: AND YOU ALSO NEED TO FUCK RIGHT OFF

TG: rose also had a twilight phase

TG: but we all know its not a phase and shes still secretly in to it

TT: To steal a phrase: fuck right off. We are NOT about to start talking about Twilight here, years after the series has lost any relevance.

CG: TEAM EDWARD OR TEAM JACOB?

TT: Team Alice.

GA: Team Alice

CG: DAMN RIGHT.

TG: this was a mistake

TT: I'm changing the topic because this is giving me flashbacks to middle school and that entire portion of my life is best left unremembered.

CG: SAME HERE

TG: dont worry kanaya ill tell you all the embarrassing middle school details in DMs

GA: Thank You

TT: Why did I do this?

CG: YOU BROUGHT US ALL CLOSER TOGETHER IN THE WORST WAY POSSIBLE.

You smile as Rose tosses her phone on the couch beside her and hides her face in her hands with a groan. Her legs are draped over yours, almost like a blanket over your thighs as the two of you relax.  
It has been two weeks since Rose's confession. Two weeks since your attack. Somehow, she's managed to be over at your apartment nearly every night since. At first you wondered how she managed to stay awake for so long, arriving at your place around midnight and leaving at four after a day of classes, but it became clear after the third visit that she was barely awake after one in the morning. Once you had offered your couch to her when she had fallen asleep sitting up, it became normal for her to pass out a few hours after showing up.  
You don't mind it at all. Aside from Karkat, Rose is currently your only contact with the outside world. Even if the only things she brings are assignments, it's still some link to the world outside your apartment. You appreciate her coming over. She keeps you from completely losing your mind in your apartment and keeps you from having to hunt for your own sustenance.  
Though you still feel guilty when she hands you that silver flask, a gnawing regret that claws at your chest almost as badly as the gnawing thirst that takes your throat every few days. It hurts worse than anything you had experienced aside from dying; the pain radiates from your throat throughout the rest of your body and the only thing keeping it at bay is blood.  
Rose notes your expression and tilts her head.  
“What's the matter?” she asks. You sigh.  
“I know drinking blood is the only way for me to survive but it's still an unpleasant thought,” you admit.  
“I'm sure it will become less unpleasant as time goes on. And once you're able to go out and hunt on your own, it will be second nature” she says. Your stomach drops at the mention of hunting but you know she's right. This is your life now. Trying to adjust to your new normal is proving difficult.  
Noting your dour expression, Rose sits up, positioning herself so her head is on your shoulders and her legs are tucked underneath her. She's warm and smells nice and you find yourself relaxing, feeling just a little bit better.  
If there is any upside to becoming a vampire, it's that you finally got a chance to be close to Rose. It's sweeter than you had imagined.  
“Rose,” you say after a while, “Did you happen to see my attacker?”  
She shakes her head and looks at you curiously. “I'm afraid not, and I have to admit I'm surprised it took you so long to ask. Why now?”  
The question had been nagging at the back of your mind for days now, but you were worried about where such a question would lead. You have never been one to seek revenge, but the more your life changes, the angrier you get.  
But now, weeks later with nothing else to do, you feel the urge to do something.  
“I'm tired of sitting around,” you say eventually. “I would go back to class but the idea of burning in the daylight is a very big deterrent. However, finding an attempted murderer seems like the perfect activity to perform under the cover of darkness.”  
Rose smiles, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “I couldn't agree more.”

\---

Going back to that goth club is a test of sorts. You haven't been around so many people since you turned. Though Rose assures you it won't come to it, part of you fears turning into a bloodthirsty, mindless creature, unable to sate her thirst.  
You're far too poised for that though. Hopefully.  
Rose looks lovely as usual in a short black skirt over striped stockings, her gray blouse impeccable and well fitted. You are dressed just as well, though more classically in a long crimson skirt and black top, the lace of your flowing sleeves reaching your fingertips.  
Her hand is warm in yours as you approach the low brick building. The music is loud enough to reach you from a distance and you can see the dim red light emanating from beyond the open door.  
You don't know what you're going to find here, but it's the only place you can think to start.  
As soon as the two of you step in, you are assaulted with scents and sound. Stopping in your tracks, you try and make sense of it all. Heavy breathing and heat radiating from the darkly clad dancers, the cloying scents of perfume and cologne and alcohol all overpowered by the scent of human.  
Clearly, you look as overwhelmed by it all as you feel because Rose presses one of her scent blockers into your hand. Chewing it helps somewhat, muting every scent and making it easier to focus on other senses. Once you're calmer, she takes your hand and leads you towards an empty booth. The burgundy faux-leather seats are sticky and uncomfortable, but you have a pretty good view of the front door and dance floor.  
Though she doesn't need to, Rose leans forward and speaks loudly over the pounding music. “Do you recognize anyone?”  
You study the crowd. A few faces are familiar from classes, but nobody who you had any regular contact with. Certainly nobody who would have slit your throat and left you for dead. You shake your head before glancing at the bar.  
A pair of wide and terrified eyes meet yours from behind a thick pair of black frames. The man's face is pale, the shaking of his hand around his drink obvious to you from where you are. His clothes are too posh, but the cape around his neck and the purple streak in his overly styled hair help him fit in well. He looks familiar in a passing way as well, but he doesn't go to your college.  
He looks as if he had just seen a ghost.  
“Rose,” you say without breaking eye contact.  
“Suspicious cape douche by the bar? I see him,” she says grimly.  
You stand. Cape douche drops his drink and nearly sprints from the club. As quickly as possible without arousing suspicion, you follow him out onto the streets. Once you've made it past the people and into the deserted late night sidewalk, you follow him with all the speed you can muster. With glee you realize you're so much faster than he could ever hope and you reach him with ease.  
Grabbing him by the cape, you pull him into an alley.  
“How the fuck-” he starts, before you shove him into a wall. He sinks down onto his nice cape, probably staining it beyond repair. His identity comes to you as he stares up at you with deep violet eyes filled with terror. You can't help but draw yourself up higher and look down at him with all of the disdain you feel.  
“Surprised to see me, Eridan?” you say, your voice cold. He manages to look even more afraid than before.  
“No,” he says, fighting to keep the wavering from his voice. “Just didn't think I'd be seeing ya at that club.”  
“Why not?” you ask. His eyes dart around and he swallows. You don't know if he killed you, but he definitely knows something. You wonder just how far you're willing to press to find out. If it were anyone else besides an Ampora, you wouldn't be intimidating him so harshly.  
As it is, you feel he deserves worse.  
“No particular reason, Just... surprisin',” he finally manages to say.  
You lean forward. “Then why did you run away?”  
He keeps his mouth shut, matching your gaze for as long as possible before he looks away. His jaw tightens.  
“How's Porrim?” he asks, and you reel back as if he had slapped you.  
“Keep her name out of your mouth,” you hiss. “And do not dodge my question. I know you are a coward, but why run?”  
“Because who knows what you would have done to me in that bar with that spooky broad you were with, Maryam. Bitch looked like she could cast a spell on me,” he says with a sneer. It takes every bit of willpower you have not to deliver a well-deserved slap.  
“I'm thrilled to see you are just as personable as your upbringing would suggest,” you say, voice dripping venom.  
“And you're less of a runaway coward. Why's that?” he fires back.  
“Perhaps I spent time thinking over the murderers my family once kept company with. Perhaps I've decided the time for sitting aside has past,” you say, glaring. Your hands are nearly shaking with rage as he looks up at you. Despite being in no position to be, he looks haughty.  
“Too little, too late,” Eridan says, and you snap. You pick him up by the throat, pressing him up against the wall with one hand, teeth bared. You can feel your fangs growing, feel the blood just underneath his pasty, paper-thin skin. He is frail and so very human, his neck thin and weak in your hand. It would be so simple for you to tear his throat out, to paint the bricks red with his blood-  
Footsteps behind you give you pause and a whiff of familiar herbs and sunlight reaches you. With a growl you let Eridan fall to the pavement. As he pulls in great gasping breaths, you lean down again.  
“I will find out what you know. Next time I will not be so merciful.”  
You leave him, bruised and gasping, and meet Rose before she makes it to the entrance of the alley. You walk past her silently and she follows quickly behind, concern written into her features. She doesn't ask what happened and you don't tell her, not yet.  
As you get closer to home and your head clears, the gravity of the situation hits you. You almost killed a man. A man whose family is perhaps connected to your own murder and others, but a man nonetheless. It would have been effortless; you are no more tired from choking him than you were at the beginning of the night.  
You find yourself fearful of your own actions.  
“You look like you're about to cry, Kanaya. What happened?” Rose asks as soon as the door to your apartment is closed. You press your face to the cool wood of the door and sigh.  
“That man's name is Eridan Ampora. His father murdered my mother,” you say dully.  
Rose is silent and still. You can't blame her.

\---

They call you Dolorosa, though that isn't your real name. In your organization, you do not use your real name. Right now, you are preparing to fight tooth and nail to stop the man on his way to eradicate your family. The Amporas did not take being insulted well, and the head of their family finds being snubbed the ultimate offense.  
Even with all of your preparation, you know you are going to die.  
Your daughters, Porrim and Kanaya, watch you with identical expressions of concern on their young faces. At ten and four years old, they are far too young to understand the peril they are in and you will ensure they never will.  
“Is Signless going to drop us off at school?” Porrim asks.  
You cross your arms. “How did you know Signless was coming?” you ask. These girls are both too smart for their own good.  
“I heard you on the phone,” she says, crossing her arms as well. Ten years old and already a force to be reckoned with. You smile and sit on the floor. Both girls climb onto your lap and look up at you expectantly. You have no idea what to tell them. You don't know what you could say to make this situation easier, to make it make any sort of sense.  
“Let me tell you a story,” you say after a moment.  
Both of them light up, looking at each other and back to you with wide grins.  
“A story before school!” Kanaya says gleefully, clapping.  
“Indeed, but this one is a true story, and I can only tell it one time, so listen carefully,” you say. With somber nods the two study you with rapt attention. You think for a minute and begin speaking slowly.  
“Once upon a time, a very cruel and strict king ruled over a small village. The king wanted nothing more than to be the best and most powerful king of them all. He longed for wealth and influence. He stole money and land from other kings, even had some of them killed.”  
Kanaya gasps. Porrim covers her mouth and shushes her.  
“He even stole from his own people, and threatened their families when they tried to stop him. He only cared about the well being of himself and his princes.  
“One day, as he walked through his village, he saw one of the women. He thought she was very pretty and decided that he would have her for a wife.”  
“No! He's bad!” Kanaya interrupts, and Porrim shushes her again. You run your fingers through Kanaya's hair and continue.  
“He is very bad, yes. The woman knew just how bad the king was, but also knew that he might have her daughters marry his mean princes as well. So, even knowing the dangers, she rejected him. The king grew very upset, ran the woman from the village, and told everyone there never to speak to her again.”  
Your daughters looks so upset that you almost don't want to finish the story, but they have to know. Even if they don't understand now, they will someday.  
“The woman was very sad. She had nothing but her daughters and the clothes on her back. She missed her friends in the village but knew that contacting them might get them in trouble. But not long after her exile, a very close friend from the village met her. He warned her that the king was still very angry. The king did not like to be rejected. He wanted the woman to pay with her life.”  
It's Porrim's turn to gasp. You swallow the growing lump in your throat and go on.  
“The woman knew it was going to happen eventually; thanks to her friend, she could prepare. Her friend had wanted to leave the village anyway, as he did not like the king. He offered to take the woman's daughters far far away, where the king could never touch them. Though the woman was very sad to see her daughters go, she knew she had to keep them safe.”  
You take a deep breath and glance at the clock. Not long now.  
“The king found the woman alone. She was unarmed and unafraid. Nobody had ever faced him so bravely. She yelled at him, told him that he was cruel and everybody hated him. In anger he... He drew his sword and stabbed her.”  
The two girls cry out in distress. You hug them closer.  
“But when he pulled his sword free, he found that the woman was gone. In her place was... A swarm of the loveliest white moths you have ever seen. They glimmered in the sunlight with every color of the rainbow and flew into the sky. The king was outraged, for the woman had escaped him once again and he would never get his revenge.”  
There is a light knocking on your door, a four tap signal you are familiar with.  
“The end,” you finish, closing your eyes and pulling Porrim and Kanaya closer. You can't let them see you cry, can't let them know anything is wrong for as long as possible.  
You can't let them realize they will never see you again.  
“Now, go get your backpacks, Signless is here and he will take you to school. And you will go home with him today too,” you say, standing and putting as much authoritativeness in your voice as needed. They scurry off without comment.  
You open the door to see Signless. He's so much younger than you despite having two sons about the same age as your daughters. It was unspoken between the two of you, but you had always seen him as family. As of now, he is the only person in the world you trust.  
He looks up at you sorrowfully, his deep brown eyes searching your face.  
“Are you sure you can't-” he starts, but you shake your head.  
“If we run, he will never stop pursuing us, you know that.”  
He clenches his fists and grits his teeth. He knows you're right. This is the only way to minimize the casualties, to give your daughters a normal life.  
“Fuck him,” he says vehemently, and you hear a gasp.  
“Momma, Signless cursed in front of Kanaya,” Porrim points out. Signless looks sheepish.  
“Sorry. Are you both ready for school?” he asks. They each press a kiss to your cheek before running out the door with Signless. You watch them climb into his car, bouncing in the back seats and he pulls away. Your eyes are glued to the car until it turns a corner.  
You close the door.

\---

“We never went home,” you say. Rose listens intently, her hands around your own. It's helping ground you more than she realizes and you're immensely grateful.  
“Signless adopted my sister and I,” you say. “When I asked him about my mother, he told me as much as he could, but not everything. I pieced what I could together. The head of the Ampora family was involved in the mafia, and still are. My mother was involved as well, but...”  
You can't help but trail off, chest tight. You had never told anyone about your family's past, and it hangs there above you, as if waiting to drop and crush the life out of you at any moment. You thought you could leave it all behind, you thought everything would be forgotten after all of these years.  
But clearly, it has come back to haunt you.  
“You don't have to say anymore, it's okay,” Rose says softly. “Thank you for telling me, I know that wasn't easy. It seems rather clear that Eridan had something to do with your attack, but why?”  
“I don't know,” you say miserably, burying your face into her shoulder. Signless's warnings and urging that you don't go to school in New York seem less unfounded now.  
“Revenge, perhaps. Or an attempt to wipe out the entire... Maryam family.” As you say it, you sit up straight, breath caught in your throat. Rose looks just as alarmed.  
How's Porrim, Eridan had asked. Porrim was nowhere near New York as far as you know; she has a popular fashion line premiering in France and had a home in London. She wasn't even in the same country.  
But still you scramble for your phone.

GA: Hello Porrim How Are You

GA: O+h, greetings dear sister. I'm o+kay. I haven't heard fro+m yo+u in a while, ho+w have things been?

GA: Things Have Been Strange Lately But I Dont Have Time To Get Into It

GA: Where Are You Right Now

GA: Why do+ yo+u ask?

GA: It Is Important

GA: Well, since yo+u've asked in the least suspicio+us way po+ssible...

GA: I'm in New Yo+rk for a few weeks. I just flew in a few ho+urs ago+, I was planning to sho+w up at yo+ur place to+morro+w as a surprise.

GA: Surprise, I suppo+se.

The phone slips from your hands. Rose catches it and quickly reads the conversation, her face going pale.  
“Shit,” she says quietly.  
“They knew she was coming, they tried to get me out of the picture beforehand and then kill her once she had arrived as well,” you say dully. It's all a wild guess, but it makes the most sense to you. “They want all Maryams gone.”  
“You need to let her know what happened as soon as possible,” Rose says. You nod and take your phone back.

GA: Porrim We Must Talk

GA: Can You Come To My Place Tomorrow Evening

GA: That's perfect, I'll be busy during the day so+ I wo+uldn't have been able to+ visit so+o+ner anyway.

GA: Okay Good

GA: Stay Safe

GA: Alright.

\---

Both you and Rose look exhausted; neither of you had slept well considering Rose isn't nocturnal and you feel likely to crumble into an anxious mess at any given second. You pace your living room while Rose watches with darkly rimmed eyes over a black cup of coffee. The scent of smoke clings to her skin, nearly overpowered by the scent of her own worry. Clearly, she is just as distraught as you are.  
“Do you think she should have arrived by now?” you ask, glancing at the window. The barest hint of late-evening light still leaks through the blanket covering the window.  
“I don't know,” Rose admits. “It is technically evening but she has mentioned being busy. Perhaps you should message her.”  
She hands you your phone and you continue to pace while typing out a message.

GA: Hello Porrim Do You Have Any Idea Of What Time You Will Be Coming Over  
GA: No Hurry If Youre Busy Im Just Curious

Each second that passes feels like a million. You sit next to Rose on the couch, both of you watching the screen. Rose bites her nails and you take one of her hands in your own, squeezing lightly. As terrible as this is, at least you aren't alone.  
Finally, a new message pops up.

GA: Kanaya

GA: Yes

GA: Question Mark

GA: thought so

The sudden shift in typing immediately concerns you. With a pounding heart you reply.

GA: Are You Okay Porrim

GA: porrim cant talk right noww

Rose looks at you with wide eyes as you resist the urge to crush your phone in your hands.  
“It must be an Ampora,” you say through clenched teeth. Your hands are shaking with rage and you can't even manage your typing style as you respond.

GA: Where is she what the hell are you doing to her

GA: Where are you

GA: If you so much as ruffle a hair on her head I swear to you I will end you as messily as possible Ampora

GA: wwoww damn you dropped your typing thing i guess youre pretty pissed huh

GA: I Will Fucking End You

GA: if youre so hell bent on tryin to savve her come to ampora fisheries and try somethin

Tossing your phone aside, you stand. Your face is tight and your mind nearly blank as you put your shoes on. The only thing going through your mind is revenge.  
You notice Rose following you as you head towards the door. You turn to her and shake your head.  
“I can't let you come,” you say, putting your hands on her shoulders. “This will be incredibly dangerous and if all goes right it will end very bloodily.”  
Her face is set in an expression of determination. “My girlfriend is a vampire, I don't mind a little blood,” she says.  
“He could hurt you, Rose,” you say desperately. “I can't imagine- if he tried to hurt you I don't know what I would do.”  
“I can handle myself, Kanaya. I am a witch,” she says.  
“And he's a murderer,” you say, but already you know there's no use in trying to change her mind, you're only wasting time.  
“At the first sign of trouble you have to get out. Promise me that.”  
She presses her lips together, clearly wanting to argue. Instead she nods. You kiss her cheek lightly and open the door.

\---

The building is low and unassuming, a sturdy building bordering the water. Small boats bob on top of the black river, waves smacking against their metal hulls. There are no lights on, no moonlight provided by the faraway sliver of the moon. Even the streetlights are out in front of Ampora Fisheries.  
A part of you is hesitant, afraid of what you may find in there and what you may do. That part is overshadowed by your own anger, the same anger that drives you to the front doors.  
They are unlocked and you enter the dark building, your eyes adjusting immediately. Rows of high shelves and industrial crates make maze-like aisles. There's barely any fish scent; it's obvious this building is a front for other, more criminal doings.  
Rose silently points out a singular light on, behind a wall of crates on the other side of the building. You motion for her to stay but she shakes her head. You clench your jaw but go on anyway.  
You are terrified. Terrified for Porrim, terrified for Rose, terrified for yourself and the unquestionable knowledge that you will do anything to make sure they get out of this okay.  
If it comes to killing, you are completely willing to tear Eridan's head from his shoulders.  
You and Rose finally come to the aisle illuminated by the single overhead light. Dimly lit and tied to a chair sits Porrim. Her skin is ashen, the vine-like tattoos that creep down her arms vivid. She sits limply, her head rolled forward and her long hair obstructing her face. Thick ropes bind her to the metal chair, knotted and double wrapped around her arms and legs.  
If it weren't for the fact you can clearly pick up her scent, of fabric and perfume and that familiar smell of family, you would almost think she was dead.  
A movement draws your eye and you look up to see Eridan behind her, his expression smug. A large gun rests in his hands, held comfortably and familiarly.  
“Nice of you and your spooky bitch to join us,” he says. “Saves me the trouble of trackin' her down myself after all this is done.”  
“Oh believe me, Eridan, after all of this is done you will be in no shape to be doing anything,” you growl. He smirks.  
“So you think.”  
There's a shuffle behind you and you turn to face the elder Ampora brother by the entrance of the aisle. His hair is slicked back in a pompadour, his leather jacket, torn jeans, and black boots all but screaming rockabilly wannabe. If it weren't for the rifle in his hands and the fact that he's far too close to Rose for your comfort you would almost be tempted to sneer. Rose presses closer to your back and you can feel her heart thudding in her chest. Sparing a glance at her, you can see that she's hiding it well, glaring at Eridan.  
“Is that her?” a third, much deeper voice asks. A well-dressed man, built like a wrestler and nearing seven feet tall, appears behind Eridan. He looks you up and down and you feel the urge to claw his eyes out.  
“She looks just like her mother. A shame,” he says. Somehow, his very voice fills your with deep loathing. This is the man who killed your mother, the man who made you an orphan.  
“Don't you dare speak about my mother,” you spit. He laughs without a hint of humor.  
“Maryams are all the same, all bark and no bite,” he says.  
“Real bitches,” snorts the elder brother.  
“So here's how this is going to go,” Dualscar says, stepping beside Porrim's unconscious form. “Since having you two killed before didn't seem to work, I'm goin' to personally kill you right here and right now. You deserve it after what that bitch Rosa said to me. And I'm gonna start with her namesake here. Either one of you makes a move and I'll make sure your deaths are painful as possible, got it?”  
Your blood runs cold and you glance back at Cronus. He smirks at you with a raised eyebrow.  
“Rose, you need to get out of here now, run past him and go,” you whisper urgently.  
“Not a chance in hell,” she says. “You're a vampire, you can take these ignoramuses easily.”  
Gritting your teeth, you look around. The shelves around you are filled with miscellaneous junk from power tools to fishing supplies.  
Dualscar, thankfully, is taking his time. He pulls a pistol from his coat, makes sure it's loaded with the slowness of a man who feels he has already won.  
Your eyes happen to fall upon something you can easily use as a weapon, on a bottom shelf between you and Dualscar.  
“Just be thankful she isn't goin' to feel a thing,” he says.  
He levels the barrel of the gun to her head, and you leap into action. Faster than anyone can keep up with, you dart across the aisle and pick up the large chainsaw, revving it to life. Dualscar seems frozen as he notices your sudden movement, shock evident on his features. The chainsaw is featherlight in your hands, the metal grips cool.  
Eridan is quicker on the draw. He runs between you and Porrim and Dualscar, and pulls the trigger of his gun. Bullets pepper the spot where you were just standing.  
The chainsaw whines in your hands, rumbling and shredding easily as you lunge for Eridan.  
It cuts through him easily, blood and innards falling to the floor a moment before his body follows. His gun clatters across the floor and lands at Dualscar's feet. The scent is overwhelming and it takes every bit of willpower you have not to drain the rest of the blood from Eridan's body before it spreads across the floor. It's made easier by the fact that drinking the blood of an Ampora fills you with revulsion.  
“Fucking hell!” Cronus shouts. You hear his boot steps echo through the warehouse as he makes a hasty retreat.  
You stare Dualscar down as his face fills with rage.  
“You'll pay for that, you fucking monster! An eye for an eye!” he roars, and in an instant the gun is pointed behind you.  
Pointed right at Rose.  
You don't think, you only act as he pulls the trigger.  
A million thoughts roll through your mind in that millisecond. What if you aren't fast enough to beat a bullet, what if he fires more than once, what if you miss-  
The force of the bullet spins you around and sends you crumpling to the ground. Pain radiates through your shoulder and you can't help but cry out. Rose is on you an in instant, face drawn with terror. Silent words move her lips, spells or apologies, you can't tell.  
Her eyes meet yours and the relief is evident before she hides it away. She keeps her hands moving, and you notice that she's making you look much bloodier than your injuries would entail.  
You take the hint and close your eyes, stilling your breathing.  
“A real shame you got pulled into all this,” Dualscar says coolly as he steps closer. Staying still is the hardest thing you've ever done because all you want to do is throw yourself in front of Rose again. “You're no Maryam, just some broad caught in the crossfire. Sorry I gotta do this,” he says, and you hear the gun cock.  
“Well,” Rose starts, speaking slowly, “you killed my love, it's only fair that you kill me as well, But if I may ask, why? Why do all of this?”  
You focus all of your energy on your shoulder, as if willing the flesh to close faster. You are healing much more rapidly than a human could ever hope, but you wonder if Rose will be able to stall long enough for you to be in any condition to do something.  
And you aren't sure what you're even going to do.  
“Why? Because the Maryams left my crew. Dolorosa Maryam dragged the Vantases along with her, dragged my name through the dirt, and insulted me to my fuckin' face,” Dualscar spits. “It's as personal as it gets. I've had a decade to think about this and seein' the Maryam girls dead will all be worth it,” he says. The loathing in his voice is obvious and mutual.  
“That's so sad,” comes a voice that shocks you into opening your eyes.  
Behind Dualscar stands Porrim, Eridan's gun in her hands. She looks vaguely disgusted as she levels the barrel at the back of Dualscar's head.  
“You're a sad man, Dualscar. I'm doing everyone a favor,” she says, and pulls the trigger.  
Dualscar falls forward with a thud. Porrim lets out a deep breath and throws the gun aside. She steps around him and kneels by your side, eyebrows pulled together.  
“Are you okay?” she asks. Her eyes dart to your shoulder and the wound that is almost gone. “You're healing,” she notes. She seems rather unsurprised by the fact that your fresh bullet wound now looks weeks old.  
You sit up quickly, throwing your arms around her neck for a quick hug. “How did you get out of your bindings?” you ask. With a glance at the chair you see the ropes, broken and tattered around the legs.  
“Oh,” Rose says quietly. The realization hits you as well a moment later, and is cemented when Porrim flashes you a fanged smile.  
“It seems vampirism is a Maryam trait,” she says. “I was waiting for the perfect moment to escape; your girlfriend here is a genius to get him to start his little monologue. Those assholes picked the worst women to fuck with,” she says with a disdainful glance at Dualscar's body.  
Rose leans on you heavily, her heart still thudding quickly in her chest. Now that the Aporas are no longer an immediate threat and Porrim is okay, all of your concern falls on Rose. She seems to be holding together well, but you worry that she may break down at any moment. You stand and pull her up with you.  
“I'm glad you're okay,” you say to Porrim, “but we should really get out of here.”  
“I couldn't agree more,” she says, standing and brushing off the dirt.  
The three of you get out quickly, heading out into the darkened streets and leaving the Amporas behind.

\---

Rose is leaning on you, asleep. She had passed out as soon as the three of you sat in your living room. You know that she's going to be a mess when she wakes up and you're thankful that she's getting rest.  
“It doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out where I was,” Porrim is saying, her legs tucked up underneath her in the chair as she gestures. “I was very publicly on that show's list. But as I'm walking back to the hotel, I'm pulled into an alleyway by none other than that asshole Cronus. He says some sexist shit, I knee him in the dick, and he stabs me. Runs away like the coward he is. And I'm trying to get my phone out to call someone but I know I'm dying. All of a sudden one of the models from the show shows up, a really strange girl named Damara, and she does something I can't remember and I black out. Wake up the next morning and she tells me I'm a vampire.”  
She says it all so casually, as if it isn't the story of how she was murdered.  
“So it was Cronus who tried to kill us both,” you say. It makes sense, the younger Ampora didn't seem the type to go out and do his father's dirty work.  
“So it seems,” Porrim agrees. “It's a shame we didn't take him down too.”  
You nod, wrapping an arm around Rose as she shifts in her sleep. Sleeping sounds ideal but you're too wired up, too alert despite the beginnings of sunrise beginning to sneak their way into your apartment.  
“I am going to go looking for him though,” Porrim adds. “As much as I hate to continue this toxic revenge cycle he needs to be dealt with.”  
You can't disagree. He's a murderer and needs to be stopped. The thought of more death, even the death of such a horrible man, suddenly exhausts you. This has been the longest night of your life.  
“But that can wait,” you say. Effortlessly, you lift Rose without waking her. “If you would like to sleep here, the couch is available. I should put Rose in bed,” you say. Porrim nods and stands as well, kissing you lightly on the cheek as you pass.  
You lay Rose down as gently as possible, but her eyes still flutter open. She watches you as you lie in bed next to her.  
“I believe I'm going to miss class today,” she mutters and scoots closer to you, curling up into your chest.  
You hold her closer, your face in her curls. “I'm sure your teachers won't mind.”  
“All I need to do is explain that I had to help my vampire girlfriend save her vampire sister from the mob. That definitely counts as an excused absence.”  
You hold her a little tighter. It's obvious how strained her voice is underneath the lightness.  
“Are you okay?” you ask.  
She sighs. “Not really. I've never been the witness to two murders before, nor have I ever seen my girlfriend take a bullet meant for me. I have to admit it's all a bit overwhelming.”  
“I'm sorry,” you say, stroking her back. “I should have been more convincing when asking you to stay here.” Regret is heavy on your tongue. She almost died, she was almost shot because of you. The thought scares you more than anything else and you find yourself curling yourself even closer around her.  
She's quiet for a moment before she says, “I wouldn't change a thing though. Even going back to that night you almost died at the club, If I had known this is how it would have all turned out, I would do it all over again without a second thought.”  
She looks up at you, lavender eyes bright and clear. “I love you, Kanaya Maryam.”  
“And I love you,” you say, and your lips meet in that warm space between the two of you, simultaneously soft and desperate, as if encompassing every kiss you could have lost tonight while ensuring every kiss you will share in the future.  
You don't know what's going to happen next. You aren't sure what will happen when the two of you wake up that evening, in a world where Rose had watched people murdered and you had committed the crime. You don't know if Cronus will be found before he exacts his own revenge. Less morbidly, you still aren't sure how you're going to balance being a vampire with being a college student.  
Uncertainty plagues you as you fall into a deep and dreamless sleep, but with Rose Lalonde in your arms, you know you won't be lost.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumbl: clockwork-dinosaur 
> 
> just dont yell at me about formatting..... i cry

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Of Moonlit Fabric and Razor Sharp Teeth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13698729) by [thefandombeckons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefandombeckons/pseuds/thefandombeckons)




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